Sweden now has the lowest smoking rate in Europe at 5.6%.
Swedish authorities have formally confirmed that the current level of tobacco use in Sweden has fallen to 5.6%. This makes Sweden the only European nation near to achieving the EU’s smoke-free target 18 years before the 2040 target. It is on the verge of becoming the first country in the world to be defined as “non-smoking”, representing a share of less than 5% of the population who smoke.
Sweden’s smoking rates have shot down since the 1980s from 35% to below 6% - a feat that is yet to be replicated by any other nation in the world. The next lowest smoking rate in Europe is double that of Sweden’s, with the EU average sitting somewhere around 23%, four times higher than in Sweden.
Key to Sweden’s success is its openness to less harmful alternatives to smoking. Snus has been at the forefront of the reduction measures, and in recent years, nicotine pouches and e-cigarettes.
The progressive, pro harm-reduction Swedish model is clearly distinct from the policies proposed by international organizations in favor of tobacco control. The World Health Organization (WHO) still refuses to acknowledge its value, despite the fact that harm reduction is explicitly recognized in the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control.